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It’s been nearly three weeks since Hurricane Helene slammed into the Appalachian mountains, causing mass flooding and destruction in the region. As local organizers and everyday people jumped to help, Neng Jr.’s, Asheville’s first Filipinx restaurant and trans-owned James Beard Nominee, was among the small businesses that leaped into action in the wake of the devastation. Owners and husbands Silver and Cherry Iocovozzi distributed hot food to members of their community left without food, power, and other essential supplies in the days that followed.
Now, the cherished local business is asking for support. While the restaurant was spared from much of the initial damage, the vast majority of Asheville remains without drinkable water and the water that is coming back slowly but surely needs to be boiled, which means Neng Jr.’s cannot operate for the indefinite future.
As a small business, they are trying to raise $38,000 to cover lost wages for their staff, who have stepped up to help the business distribute hot meals to over 400 people in the immediate aftermath of the storm. The funds will go directly towards covering three weeks of wages for the team.
“The team at Neng Jr.’s are some of the most caring industry professionals in the world,” reads the GoFundMe fundraiser. “The intention they put into everything they do is deeply felt by everyone who walks through our door and experiences the beauty that is Neng Jr.’s. They jumped into action immediately after the storm to help their community, and ensuring that they have enough financial support to make it through this time is extremely important.”
So far, the business has raised $25,000 of the $38,000 on GoFundMe. Some of Neng Jr.’s staff will also be having a pop-up night at Honey’s in Brooklyn on October 19. They will be smoking meats to raise money for losses caused by Hurricane Helene and eventual reopening of the brick-and-mortar restaurant.
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